“Happy New Year”

FUN FACT OF THE MONTH.

Volaticotherium Antiquus

What better time than while we are all looking forward to take a look back way back into a past filled with creatures fit for horror films. In the vast reaches of Mongolia the bones have been found a a new order of ancient gliding animal.

The surprising little animal was a mammal just under a pound, something like a squirrel in nature but, just as many creatures of the day, had a mouth full of some very daunting sharp, large teeth (revealing that it ate bugs). Elongated legs, a long rudder tail, and an airfoil like membrane running between it’s front and back legs, allowed the mammal to glide – 70 million years before any other.

This animal has brought up the astounding possibility that it might have even been the first animal to have ever taken to the air even before the first birds evolved. It has appropriately been named “Volaticotherium Antiquus” meaning “ancient gliding beast”. The bones are a rather new find so more about the animals will be known with continued study.

Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community

**NEW SERIES**

SKELETON ISLANDS

For the first story of 2007 RHS1 brings you the first enigma from the past..

The Lyakhovsky ( Lyakhov) islands are the southernmost group of the New Siberian islands in the arctic seas of eastern Russia. The islands are named in honour of Ivan Lyakhovsky, who explored them in 1773.

Later Explorers have reported that the islands were simply piles of frozen bones. Now this may be an exaggeration…However what is sure is the amount of bones present on the islands must have been /are..Evident and sufficient in number to cause such exaggeration.

The Wooly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)

The bones or skeletons consist of a vast number of Wooly Mammoths remains; The Wooly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is a very large hairy elephant…How large?….Its teeth are a foot long, (33cm) its Spiraling curved tusks averaged 10-11 feet (3.3 metres) and weighted approx; 100 lbs (45 kilos) each.

It has been estimated that 5,000,000 of these creatures lived in the siberian coastal region prior to the ice age. This is equal to about 500,000 tons of Ivory. Indeed northern Siberia has been the one of main supplier/exporter to the european and chinese ivory markets since the russian conquest of Siberia. Trade in the ivory from the tusks of dead mammoths has occurred for 300 years and continues to be legal. Mammoth ivory is used today to make handcrafted knives and similar implements.

Here comes the problem..The enigma, the mystery…

These beasts and others have been preserved in the permafrost of northern Siberia intact, hair, skin, even the half digested last dinner they ate in the case of some Mammoths…The content of the Last meal when examined contains plants that simply do not grow in Siberia, at least not today…That is.

“Dina” a baby mammoth found in northern Siberia.

So how do you Quick freeze/preserve a beastie the size of a mammoth without incurring any decomposition? As well some of the preserved Mammoths apparently died standing up frozen to the spot…How preserved are they…You can eat them, thats how well preserved some are.

Fast freeze techniques used in the food industry can give us the maths. Birds Eye Frozen Foods Company made the calculations, the answer, simply drop the temperature to -150°F ( -100°C).

Thats all that is needed to to fast freeze a mammoth and keep it fresh..However the is no recorded or observable natural geo physical phenomena on the planet earth today capable of doing this. As well to quote H.H.Howorth, (The mammoths in Siberia, Geological Magazine 7, p. 551-552, 1880.) Who I belive sums up his point rather well…

“Now, by no physical process known to us can we understand how soft flesh
could thus be buried in ground while it is frozen as hard as flint without disintegrating it.
We cannot push an elephant’s body into a mass of solid ice or hard frozen gravel and clay
without entirely destroying the fine articulations and pounding the whole mass into a jelly,
nor would we fail in greatly disturbing the ground in the process.”

So you cannot put the mammoth into frozen ground and you cannot drop the temperature to -100°C fast enough freeze everything to the state of preservation observed..????????

Anyone with a theory or answer to this enigma please feel free to send it to the editor at RHS1 and we will publish it..Please ensure that your answer does NOT contain…Divine intervention, Paranormal activity, extra-terrestrial interference.

We do not expect answers to adhere to the strict discipline of the “scientific method”, however we request that answers be logical and concur with the laws of physics

What Charles Darwin…The Father of Evolution had to say about this enigma…

“Errr….I have no idea at all”

All the best…Indiana

For more info on this subject simply Google “Wooly mammoth”.

Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community

TREASURE HUNTING – OLD CHARTER SALVAGE

OLD CHARTER SAN SALVADOR TREASURE UPDATE

“What’s going on now?”

Field exploration.

Here we are in 2007 and it’s starting out with a blast for the guys at Old Charter. It’s pretty hard to get them to hold still long enough to make comments right now as they are just being swamped with work to do at the time. In the next couple of days the guys will be gone again. This time they will be excavating rather than exploring, so they are a one excited bunch of hunters right now. They have to be quick about the excavation, too, because San Salvador has been cleared again.

If you have been following our newsletters, you know already that San Salvador may well prove to be one of the, if not THE, biggest treasures ever to be located. Needless to say, even with the permits drawn up, they have had their hands full keeping those permits as everyone in the world suddenly decided piracy was still alive and kickin’ when they realized the extent of this treasure. Old Charter has had to defend their permits from everything from politicians who wanted claim to the treasure to scumbag site looters. Even at the point of excavation they have had to stop and deal with technicalities. But through it all, their reputation for honesty and integrity has prevailed and they have held fast to their permits and the dig is soon to be on at last! It’s hard to imagine what having to sit on that treasure and fight for it so long has been like for them.

Now if several excavations in progress isn’t enough for them, the pilot they will be filming with International Explorations should keep them from getting too much shut eye in between treasures. The joint effort pilot will feature demonstrations of Bob Fitzgerald’s recovery equipment and will film a live discovery in action. We here at RHS1 are really looking forward to watching it.

Not bad for a jump start on a new year, we have to admit.

If you’d like a tip for a jump start on your new year, you might want to take a little trip over to www.oldcharter.com and check out the investment opportunities available before they are gone. While Don is working furiously to get the site updated, the treasures they are uncovering are keeping him out in the field most of the time, so if you are interested in what opportunities are presently still open or just coming available, feel free to send Don an inquiry email. Be respectful and don’t email unless you have a genuine interest, though, these guys are already swamped to the gills.

Don it’s really too bad that you are finding too much treasure to stay home and update your site. I know a lot of treasure hunting outfits that are really feeling some pain for your predicament, guy. If you need any help with it, just let us know….you know where to send the maps, pal. We will keep our readers informed of any breaking news via the Gazette this month so stay tuned.

Bob Fitzgeralds Field equipment in action.

A very interesting and good job, but work nonetheless.

As you can see by some pictures Don recently sent to us, not all successful days in the field involve exotic locations and wild adventures. Some days it can look much like having a regular job – a very interesting and good job, but work nonetheless.

Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community

RHS1 Club News

Hi Folks,

Here we are in 2007. Seems like we had just started on 2006 the last time I checked the calendar. But looking back, this last year with RHS1 has been about the best days of my life. No other place on earth would I have met so many interesting, knowledgeable, and, yes, sometimes just outrageously bizarre folk – and I have enjoyed every last one of them and look forward to meeting many more over the next years.

The site has been a continual project itself – you may have noticed the new features that creep in here from time to time. We just put in the Pro-Shop. It has things such as streak plates, gold pans, rock hammers, rock saws, tumblers, GPS watches, you name it real stuff for people really outdoors and really looking for something or for those back home trying figure out what they want to make from what they found.

Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community

TRAVEL: The Tucson Rock Show…Ready to Roll

Tucson Arizona.

The Tucson Rock and Gem show is coming January 26 – February 11 of 2007.

RHS1 members Ricardo and Claudia Birnie from Argentina have a booth there this year and are inviting you to all come and get a close up, live look at those astoundingly wonderful agates that you have seen in their pictures.

Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show Dealer directory And Tucson EZ-Guide.

Claudia and Ricardo tell us:

This is the first time when New Patagonian Agates will be exhibited during Tucson Fair 2007 in such large quantity and quality . All agates have been selected over three years. Also, we will exhibit agates from different sources found in Argentina

Claudia and Ricardo in one of the Patagonian Sources

Now if you aren’t familiar with the annual Tucson Rock and Gem show, let me warn you – this is unlike any rock and gem show around. We are not talking about a large display here – we are talking about a whole town crammed full of rock and gem displays, one of the largest shows in the world and growing yearly. If you think a Rock and Gem Mardi Gras would be plenty of fun, then you won’t want to miss this event.

If you have time between, before, or after browsing displays, don’t forget that while in Tucson, you are in the heart of some pretty phenomenal hunting country as well, so leave yourself some time to poke around some ghost towns, streams, and hillsides while you are out there.

The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is held every year in February for two weeks. It is one of the largest gem and mineral shows in the world, and features many of the finest mineral specimens. There is no single location for display of minerals, but rather dozens of locations spread across town.

The show has an estimated attendance of more than 50,000 people from over twenty countries. Attendees frequently include the general public, experts, beginning collectors, museum employees, dealers, retailers, and researchers. Many museums and universities, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Sorbonne, have displayed materials at the show.

If you have time between, before, or after browsing displays, don’t forget that while in Tucson, you are in the heart of some pretty phenomenal hunting country as well.Amethyst, citrine, blue opal, fire opal, fire agate, turquoise, malachite, and jasper are just a few of the great stones you can find in the mountain areas of Tucson.

The upper regions may be inaccessible to the rockhound this time of year, but the lower regions often contain some dazzling possibilities as well. If you are doing some lowland hunting and the temperatures happen to reach into the 60’s or over while you are there, you will want to be cautious for snakes, scorpions, and spiders which have a habit of coming out to play on warm days.

The streams of the Tucson area are prime area for the avid gold panner, too. Silver is also a great possibility for the metal hound – and even a bit of platinum can be won by the fortunate hunter. Make sure you check to make sure that you are not panning private property.

Arizona is also rich with history, both Native Indians and invading Spanish have left artifacts in their wake for the lucky hunter to bring back to us in this century. Before hunting artifacts, you might want to check what the local laws have to say about what you can keep and what you have to report. Spanish explorers spent much time roaming Arizona for the legendary 7 cities of Gold which have never to this day been found. Do you feel lucky?

Of course, any place with as much gold and other metals as Arizona had mines and mining towns. Needless to say, now there are many ghost towns sprinkling the landscape. You will find an abundance of information about ghost areas by talking to the locals or inquiring at one of the local rock shops in the area.

All in all – if you want to do more than browse the exhibits at the Tucson Rock and Gem Show on your vacation, you are not going to be hard pressed to find whatever type of hunting, rock or treasure, that you are interested in while there.

Tucson Arizona as seen from space.

Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community

ROCKHOUND RECIPES & TIPS

“Campfire Crock Pots”

Dutch oven from the 1890s Note the evidence of ashes on the lid.

Crock pots have been around for centuries. Many people only know about the most recent version that you plug in to the electric outlet, set the timer , and go to work. Coming home to a hot meal ready for you to eat. But what about when your out and about, cooking your meal over an open fire. Well there is a crock pot that has been around almost as long as fire and metal, it’s called a Dutch Oven.

In the U.S. If you where a cowboy cook with a chuck wagon you had a Dutch Oven. Those where made of cast iron, had three legs, a wire bale handle and a flat, rimmed lid. You can still find them today almost anywhere that sells cast iron cooking pans will have them. Oh, by the way we will be talking about cast iron pans in the near future. Just explaining the proper way to season them will be an article in itself.

So back to crock pots, err I mean Dutch Ovens. What you can cook in them is just about anything you would cook at home in a pot or oven. Yes you can cook stew and soups in them, but that’s not all. I’ve used them to bake biscuits, breads, and even pizza. But Dutch ovens are used mostly for stews, casseroles, and roasts.

Here’s a couple of quick and easy Dutch Oven recipes for you to try. Naturally the first thing you need to do is get a good bed of coals going.

Pizza

2 boxes pizza mix w/ sauce

1 lb mozzarella cheese

1 lb pepperoni (or your favorite topping)

Large Dutch Oven

Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil I

Prepare coals.
Line Dutch Oven with heavy duty foil
Mix pizza dough per instructions on box
Spread dough evenly in bottom of Dutch Oven.
Layer with sauce, pepperoni & cheese.
Cover dutch oven, place on coals, put several coals on top.
Cook for 15-20 minutes.
Comment: Do not use too many coals or you can easily burn the crust.

Dutch Oven chicken

1 large pack of frozen skinless,boneless chicken breast

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

large box of instant rice

1 pound of bacon

2 bags of shredded cheddar cheese

water

salt and pepper

1 stick butter

1 med. to large cooking pot

1 large dutch oven

tongs

knife and serving spoon

Boil chicken breast until done.
Remove chicken and allow to cool.
Add rice to water and add butter and cook till done.
Preheat dutch oven.
Cut bacon into small pieces.
Dice chicken into small pieces.

Layer ingredients as follows.
Bacon on bottom,rice , chicken, next soup and cheese.
Continue this until oven is full or you run out of items.
Cook about 20 minutes or until done.

A little goes a long way This is very filling. The chicken can be parboiled and cut ahead of time. Just freeze it when you are done for less prep time at your sight. ENJOY!!

About Thom…

Thom Meyer is a retired professional chef who has a degree in Culinary Arts – Also an avid camper and most importantly a person who likes to eat. Lately he has been involved in marketing and building websites when not using WordPress for them, a process of which in some circles he is considered an authority. Among his many websites that he maintains are www.recipes-4-all.com and www.wp-revealed.com

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro”
Hunter S. Thompson

Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community

FEATURE SERIES:

THE STRANGE WORLD OF CRYSTALS REALITY AND BEYOND

This month: Crystals Throughout History

Was Atlantis the first culture to use quartz crystals? We might never know. Legends hold that other societies adjacent to Atlantis also knew of their powers and used them to advantage. For example in Lemuria, where the citizens were frightened of the ruthless “giants” who walked on the surface, quartz crystals were used to generate light for crops which the people grew underground in caves and tunnels.

It is not clear that information about crystals was transported to later civilizations from these early legendary cultures, but it is quite clear that ancient cultures that we do have records and artifacts from did understand that quartz crystals were, while not so rare, very different and special. Throughout the ages, many attributes were attributed to quartz that people had no real scientific means for assessing. They did, however, have some reason for some very strong beliefs about the nature and power of quartz crystals. While all gemstones held their place in history, none have been so widely used and revered as the simple quartz crystal. Egyptians drank from chalices fashioned from quartz believing that the mineral imparted life energy into the water. Similarly, today crystals are used to ionize water to make it healthy and stabilizing for drinking.

In ancient Greece, quartz crystals were thought to be permanently frozen water from Mt. Olympus. Crystals were used with the sun’s rays to start ceremonial fires and Roman scholar Pliny documents their similar use to cauterize wounds. In the orient crystal was awarded with the same reverence given water, the source of life and energy. Crystal ball artifacts have been found in countless mediterranian, oriental, and other cultures.

CrystalBall.

The use of crystal was relevant to the belief that crystal can store, amplify, and disperse information about the future and past. Crystal balls and scrying with crystals is still used by many in our “modern” societies. Edgar Cayce wrote about Mayan crystal technology and claimed that records had been held in three various places around the globe, one being in the Yucatan peninsula. He claimed that the stones were being uncovered in Yucatan during his time of writing, with a note that little was known or understood about the stones.

Modern speculations have been viewed about an Ancient Hall of Records hidden within the Mayan region. Belief holds that a repository of knowledge of the ancients is kept in quartz crystals in a “similar manner as a modern CD”. This Hall is thought to be hidden under a pyramid complex or within underground tunnels. If they are in the underground tunnels written about by Stan Grist, it may be a bit difficult to recover these miraculous information centers. But one thing is certain. If an ancient culture knew near what we now know about quartz crystals, there is a very reasonable possibility that these records do indeed exist, and may yet be found.

Native Americans felt that quartz provided a medium which allowed the flow of information of the earth to traverse to the Great Spirits who would use the information to keep the environment in balance. Gemstones are responsible for creating the electromagnetic field around the earth with clear quartz harmonizing and unifying the vibrational frequencies of the colored gemstones. Today’s science is revealing these subtle earth energies and energy grids and lines and bringing them from the metaphysical realms into our halls of science.

The Uncompahgre Ute Indians of Colorado long used quartz crystals in healing, meditation, and divining. They also the first documented group of people to use them to generate light. They constructed ceremonial rattles from translucent buffalo hide then filled them with quartz crystals collected from the mountains of the region. When the rattles were shaken, the mechanical stress and friction would produce light flashes which would glow through the skins of the rattle. These rattles were believed to call the spirits to ceremonies and were highly revered.

Uncompahgre Ute Rattle.

Today we understand a process called triboluminescence to be the source of the lights created by the rattles. Today we know much about the energies of quartz crystals that, while unknown scientifically in pervious cultures, had been somehow gleaned to be active by those with experience with these wondrous minerals.

As our sciences progress, we find more and more that the superstitions of old have a basis for their existence. In the last few months we have traveled the world of crystals from the unknown and bizarre, to Atlantis and on through history. Next month we will take a step into the the 21’st century – the Age of Crystals, where we will find how right the ancients were and how technology is taking the powers of the crystal one step beyond.